13 April 2011

Location 10: Nipton

Spinning wheels in Nipton

The real town of Searchlight doesn't seem to bear much relation to Camp Searchlight - couldn't even find the church - but heading west, Nipton was far more fruitful. It's a little artists' colony at the junction of Hwy 164 and an old railroad track.

The cart's still there in FNV

The place has a real Fallout feel. It's sparsely populated by odd characters who you know will still be there if you ever go back, and its businesses and buildings have the same scruffy cheerfulness as in the game.

Stuffed with the southwest

As with most buildings in FNV, the interiors have no commonality; take Nipton General Store, of which I somehow forgot to take a snap of the exterior!

The real storekeeper is happier

The store's for real, and sells a mix of goods reflecting the area's heritage - Indian beads, textiles, probably a dreamcatcher or two in there. Somehow it felt more New Mexico than the Nevada/California border, but I'm doubtless over-analysing here.

The town's B&B

Nipton Hall seems to be a mashup of several buildings in the real town: its facade looks a little like Nipton Hotel (a tiny four-room hostelry in real life) but it's much bigger, with a porch that resembles another house.

Smokin'

There is a Nipton Hotel in the game but it looks nothing like the real one.

In the game, the hotel's just a house with a couple of bedrooms; were the game designers riffing on how tiny the real Nipton Hotel is?

... and the game adds some rock

Border of NV and CA

The town sign, however, is there, as is the railroad crossing (albeit with a LOT of license taken with surrounding hills.) Nipton is right on the border of Nevada and California; the railroad signs aren't labelled, but there are extra signs in the game denoting where you are. Result!

Now it's time to start drifting towards Vegas proper, by entering Freeside and its Old Mormon Fort.